The Effect of Temperature

Abstract: An enzyme is a substance that acts as a catalyst, or something that increases the speed of a reaction, in a living organism. In fruits and vegetables, catechol is a substrate that is oxidized and becomes benzoquinone, with the help of the enzyme, catechol oxidase. This reaction turns fruits and vegetables brown when exposed to air in order to protect the organism. This experiment is to determine if temperature has an effect on enzyme reactivity; the hypothesis is that the enzymes will react more quickly at low temperatures than they will at higher temperatures. To test this hypothesis, potato slurry was mixed with catechol oxidase, and the absorbance rate was tested at different ...

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which the enzyme reacts with is called a substrate, and this reaction occurs using a lock and key method, or specificity of fit. Reaction products are what are formed after a reaction is carried through.
Catechol is found in nature, in fruits and vegetables. Also in fruits and vegetables, catechol oxidase can be found, which is an enzyme that, when exposed to oxygen, undergoes an oxidation reaction, and the outside of the fruit or vegetable turns brown. The product of this reaction is the brown layer, which is actually benzoquinone. In this reaction, the fruit or vegetable, in this case, the potato, is the substrate of the reaction. The outer brown layer that is formed after this reaction is actually a protective covering to prevent rotting of damaged fruits and vegetables.
To test whether or not temperature effects the speed of enzyme reaction, potato slurry was created, and put into specific labeled test tubes. Depending on the test tube, there was either a catechol oxidase ...

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